Semiconductor device

ABSTRACT

A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor element circuit, a conductive support and a sealing resin. The conductive support includes a die pad, first terminals spaced in a first direction, second terminals spaced in the first direction and opposite to the first terminals in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a support terminal connected to the die pad. The sealing resin encapsulates portions of the first and second terminals, a portion of the support terminal, the semiconductor element circuit and the die pad. The sealing resin has two first side surfaces spaced apart in the second direction and two second side surfaces spaced apart in the first direction. The first terminals and second terminals are exposed from the first side surfaces, while none of the elements of the conductive support is exposed from the second side surfaces.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to semiconductor devices. In particular,the present invention relates to a semiconductor device that includes,in a single package, an insulating element or circuit in addition to aplurality of semiconductor elements, where the insulating elementcarries out signal transmission between the semiconductor elements

2. Description of the Related Art

Inverters are used in electric vehicles (including hybrid vehicles) andhome appliances for example, and these inverters may incorporate asemiconductor device provided with an insulating element or circuit.Specifically, an inverter used for an electric vehicle may include powersemiconductors (such as insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) andmetal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs)) inaddition to a semiconductor device of the above-mentioned type. Such asemiconductor device includes a control element, an insulating element,and a drive element. The inverter supplies a control signal receivedfrom an engine control unit (ECU) to the control element of thesemiconductor device. The control element converts the control signalinto a pulse width modulation (PWM) control signal and transmits theresulting signal to the drive element via the insulating element.According to the PWM control signal, the drive element switches aplurality of (six, for example) IGBTs with a desired timing. Through theswitching of the six IGBTs with a desired timing, direct current (DC)power supplied from an on-vehicle battery is converted into three-phasealternating current (AC) power, which is suitable for the motor driving.

In the semiconductor device, the control element operates at a lowsource voltage (about 5 volts), while the drive element operates at ahigh source voltage (about 600 volts or higher). Therefore, a PWMcontrol signal (electric signal) from the control element to the driveelement needs to be transmitted via the insulating element. Aconventional example of the insulating element is a photocoupler. Aphotocoupler includes a light emitter, such as a light emitting diode(LED), and a light receiver, such as a phototransistor. An electricsignal received at the light emitter is converted into an optical signalby the light emitter, and the resulting optical signal is received bythe light receiver and converted back into an electric signal. In thisway, the electric signal is transmitted. Unfortunately, a semiconductordevice formed by mounting a photocoupler as an insulating element, acontrol element, and a drive element all within a single package tendsto be large. In addition, a photocoupler as mentioned above may not besuitable for high-speed switching of IGBTs due to the delay inconversion between an electric signal and an optical signal, whichoccurs as the frequency of the electric signal is higher.

In view of the above, more and more semiconductor devices includeinsulating elements with coupled inductors. An inductor-coupledinsulating element transmits an electric signal through inductivecoupling of two inductors (coils), rather than via electric connection.Specifically, one of the coils converts an electric signal into amagnetic field, and the other coil converts the magnetic field back intoan electric signal. This achieves transmission of the electric signalwithout electric connection. Unlike photocouplers, inductor-coupledinsulating elements are suitable for producing compact semiconductordevices and involve little or no delay in transmission of ahigh-frequency electric signal, which is an advantageous characteristicfor high-speed switching of IGBTs. A semiconductor device disclosed inJP-A-2013-51547 includes a semiconductor element having a send circuit,an inductor-coupled insulating element, and a drive element (gate driverintegrated circuit) having a receive circuit within a single package.

However, simply providing a semiconductor device with an insulatingelement may not be sufficient when two semiconductor elements, such as acontrol element and a drive element, that receive source voltages ofsignificantly different potentials are mounted in the single package.Such a semiconductor device is required to further improve thedielectric strength. In an example of a small outline package (SOP)type, a semiconductor device preferable to further improve thedielectric strength has a sufficient distance separating the terminalsexposed from one side surface of the sealing resin from the terminalsexposed from the other side surface, with semiconductor elementsincluding a drive element located in between. To further improve thedielectric strength, it is preferable that the terminals are the onlyportions of a lead frame that are exposed from the sealing resin. Theneed to further improve dielectric strength increases with increase inthe source voltage supplied to a motor controlled by the inverter.

For example, JP-A-2000-68437 discloses a conventional SOP semiconductordevice. In the production of the disclosed semiconductor device, aportion of a lead frame called an island support is used to support toan island portion (die pad), which is a portion for mountingsemiconductor elements. The island support extends in a directionperpendicular to the extending direction of the terminals and has oneend connected to the island portion and another end connected to theperipheral portion of the lead frame. Once the sealing resin is formed,the island portion is supported by the sealing resin and the support bythe island support is no longer necessary. Therefore, the island supportis cut off from the lead frame when the semiconductor device is cutofffrom the lead frame. As a result, a cut surface of the island support isexposed on the side surface of the sealing resin. Since the cur surfaceof the island support is part of the lead frame, the semiconductordevice having such a structure may fail to meet the need to furtherimprove the dielectric strength.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the circumstances described above, the present invention aimsto provide a semiconductor device having a configuration to furtherimprove its dielectric strength.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided asemiconductor device that includes: a semiconductor element circuit; aconductive support provided with a die pad on which the semiconductorelement circuit is mounted, first terminals mutually spaced apart in afirst direction, second terminals mutually spaced apart in the firstdirection and disposed opposite to the first terminals in a seconddirection (perpendicular to the first direction) with respect to thesemiconductor element circuit, and a support terminal formed integralwith the die pad; and a sealing resin that partially covers the firstterminals, the second terminals and the support terminal, while alsocovering the semiconductor element circuit and the die pad. The sealingresin has a pair of first side surfaces spaced apart in the seconddirection and a pair of second side surfaces spaced apart in the firstdirection. The first terminals and the second terminals are exposed fromthe pair of first side surfaces, while the conductive support is notexposed from any one of the second side surfaces.

According to the aspect of the present invention described above, theplurality of first terminals and the plurality of second terminal areexposed from a different one of the pair of side surfaces of the sealingresin. The die pad, the first terminals, the second terminals, and thesupport terminal included in the semiconductor device are all componentsof the conductive support. The conductive support has no components(such as an island support) exposed from the second side surfaces of thesealing resin. This configuration ensures that no metal components ofthe conductive support not encapsulated by the sealing resin are locatednear the second terminals for receiving a higher voltage than the firstterminals. This configuration is therefore effective to further improvethe dielectric strength.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a semiconductor device according to a firstembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1 (witha sealing resin omitted).

FIG. 3 is a left-side view of the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a right-side view of the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view along line VII-VII of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 2.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a lead frame of the semiconductor device shownin FIG. 1.

FIG. 10 is a partial sectional view illustrating a manufacturing step ofa bonding wire of the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 is a partial sectional view illustrating a manufacturing step ofthe bonding wire of the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 12 is a partial sectional view illustrating a manufacturing step ofthe bonding wire of the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 13 is a partial sectional view illustrating a manufacturing step ofthe bonding wire of the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 14 is a partial sectional view illustrating a manufacturing step ofthe bonding wire of the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of a semiconductor device according to a secondembodiment of the present invention (with a sealing resin omitted).

FIG. 16 is a sectional view along line XVI-XVI of FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is a plan view of a semiconductor device according to a thirdembodiment of the present invention (with a sealing resin omitted).

FIG. 18 is an enlarged view of an upper right portion of FIG. 17.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below withreference to the accompanying drawings.

First Embodiment

With reference to FIGS. 1 to 12, the following describes a semiconductordevice A1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Forconvenience, the vertical direction of the plan views is defined as afirst direction X, and the horizontal direction, which is perpendicularto the first direction X, is defined as a second direction Y. The firstdirection X and the second direction Y are both within a planeperpendicular to the thickness direction of the semiconductor device A1.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the semiconductor device A1. FIG. 2 is a planview similar to FIG. 1, except that a sealing resin 6, which will bedescribed later, is omitted for clarity. FIG. 3 is a left-side view ofthe semiconductor device A1. FIG. 4 is a right-side view of thesemiconductor device A1. FIG. 5 is a front view of the semiconductordevice A1. FIG. 6 is a rear view of the semiconductor device A1. FIG. 7is a sectional view along line VII-VII (long and short dashed lines) ofFIG. 2. FIG. 8 is a sectional view along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 2. InFIG. 2, the sealing resin 6 is omitted and indicated only by imaginarylines (dash-double-dot lines). In FIGS. 7 and 8, the sealing resin 6 isillustrated.

The semiconductor device A1 shown in these figures is of an SOP packagetype and surface mountable on a circuit board of an inverter of, forexample, an electric vehicle or hybrid vehicle. The semiconductor deviceA1 according to the present embodiment includes semiconductor elements11, an insulating element 12, a conductive support, the sealing resin 6,bonding wires 71, internal plating 72, and external plating 73. Thesemiconductor device A1 according to the present embodiment isrectangular in plan view.

The semiconductor elements 11 and the insulating element 12 are used forthe semiconductor device A1 to operate. The semiconductor elements 11include a control element ill and a drive element 112. The controlelement 111 includes a circuit for converting a control signal inputfrom an ECU into a PWM control signal, a send circuit for sending thePWM control signal to the drive element 112, and a receive circuit forreceiving an electric signal from the drive element 112. The driveelement 112 includes a receive circuit for receiving a PWM controlsignal from the control element 111, a circuit (gate driver) forswitching a power semiconductor element such as an IGBT based on the PWMsignal, and a send circuit for transmitting an electric signal to thecontrol element 111. Examples of electric signals transmitted to thecontrol element 111 include an output signal of a temperature sensor,which may be disposed near the motor.

The insulating element 12 transmits electric signals, including a PWMcontrol signal, without an electrical connection. The insulating element12 is provided because the drive element 112 requires a higher voltagethan the control element 111 and thus a high potential difference iscreated between the drive element 112 and the control element 111. In aspecific example of an inverter for an electric vehicle or hybridvehicle, the source voltage supplied to the control element 111 is about5 V, while the source voltage supplied to the drive element 112 is about600 V or higher. In the present embodiment, the insulating element 12 isan inductor-coupled insulating element, which uses inductive coupling oftwo inductors (coils) to carry out non-contact transmission of electricsignals. The insulating element 12 has a substrate made of silicon (Si).The inductors made of copper (Cu) are mounted on the substrate. Theinductors include a send inductor and a receive inductor that arestacked in the thickness direction of the insulating element 12 so as tohave a dielectric layer in between. The dielectric layer is made of,e.g., silicon dioxide (SiO₂) and electrically isolates the send inductorfrom the receive inductor.

As shown in FIG. 2, the insulating element 12 is located between thecontrol element 111 and the drive element 112 in the second direction Y.In the present embodiment, the control element ill, the drive element112, and the insulating element each have a rectangular shape elongatedin the first direction X in plan view. The control element 111 and theinsulating element 12 are mounted on a first die pad 21, which is one ofdie pads 2 described later. The drive element 112 is mounted on a seconddie pad 22, which is another one of the die pads 2. A plurality of pads111 a are formed on the upper surface of the control element 111 (alsoshown in FIG. 7). Similarly, a plurality of 112 a are formed on theupper surface of the drive element 112 (also shown in FIG. 7), whereas aplurality of pads 12 a are formed on the upper surface of the insulatingelement 12 (also shown in FIG. 7).

The conductive support is for mounting the semiconductor elements 11 andthe insulating element 12 and also for providing a conduction path amongthe semiconductor elements 11, the insulating element 12, and thecircuit board of an inverter. The conductive support may be made of analloy containing Cu. The conductive support is constituted by a leadframe 81, which will be described later. The conductive support includesthe die pads 2, a plurality of first terminals 3, a plurality of secondterminals 4, and a plurality of support terminals 5.

The die pads 2 are for mounting the semiconductor elements 11 and theinsulating element 12 thereon. The diepads 2 includes the first die pad21 and the second die pad 22. As shown in FIG. 2, the first die pad 21is spaced apart from the second die pad 22 in the second direction Y. Inthe present embodiment, the first die pad 21 has a larger area than thesecond die pad 22. In the present embodiment, in addition, the first diepad 21 and the second die pad 22 each have a rectangular shape elongatedin the first direction X in plan view. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, thefirst die pad 21 and the second die pad 22 are both flat.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the first die pad 21 has a first uppersurface 211 and a first lower surface 212. The first upper surface 211faces away from the first lower surface 212. In the present embodiment,the first upper surface 211 is coated with the internal plating 72. Thecontrol element 111 and the insulating element 12 are attached to theinternal plating 72 that is on the first upper surface 211, by diebonding via a bonding layer (not shown). The entire first lower surface212 is in contact with the sealing resin 6.

As shown in FIG. 7, the second die pad 22 has a second upper surface 221and a second lower surface 222. The second upper surface 221 faces awayfrom the second lower surface 222. In the present embodiment, the secondupper surface 221 is coated with the internal plating 72. The driveelement 112 is attached to the internal plating 72 that is on the uppersurface 221, by die bonding via a bonding layer (not shown). The entiresecond lower surface 222 is in contact with the sealing resin 6.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, the first die pad 21 and the second die pad22 are spaced apart in the second direction Y, with the sealing resin 6in between. In the present embodiment, the sealing resin 6 may be madeof a black epoxy resin that is electrically insulative, as will bedescribed later. Therefore, the first die pad 21 is electricallyinsulated from the second die pad 22 by the insulating element 12 andthe sealing resin 6.

Once bonded to the circuit board of an inverter, the first terminals 3provide a conduction path between the semiconductor device A1 and thecircuit board. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the first terminals 3 arearranged in the first direction X. In addition, the first terminals 3extend in the second direction Y beyond one of first side surfaces 63 ofthe sealing resin 6 as will be described later, to be partially exposedfrom the sealing resin 6. The first terminals 3 include a plurality offirst inner terminals 31 and a pair of first outer terminals 32.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the first inner terminals 31 are arrangedbetween the pair of first outer terminals 32 in the first direction X.Each first inner terminal 31 has a lead section 311 and a pad section312.

The lead section 311 is a rectangular portion extending in the seconddirection Y. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the portion of the lead section311 extending beyond the one first side surface 63 of the sealing resin6 is bent into a gull wing profile. In addition, the extended portion ofthe lead section 311 is coated with external plating 73 as shown in FIG.7. In other words, the portion of the lead section 311 not covered bythe external plating 73 is covered by the sealing resin 6. The padsection 312 is continuous with the lead section 311 and has arectangular shape wider than the lead section 311 in the first directionX. In the present embodiment, the upper surface of the pad section 312is coated with the internal plating 72 as shown in FIG. 7. The padsection 312 is flat and entirely encapsulated in the sealing resin 6.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the pair of first outer terminals 32 arelocated on opposite sides of the plurality of first inner terminals 31in the first direction X. Each first outer terminal 32 has a leadsection 321 and a pad section 322.

The lead section 321 has a rectangular shape elongated in the seconddirection Y. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the portion of the lead section321 extending beyond the one first side surface 63 of the sealing resin6 is bent into a gull wing profile. As with the lead section 311 of eachfirst inner terminal 31, the extended portion of the lead section 321 iscoated with the external plating 73. In other words, the portion of thelead section 321 not covered by the external plating 73 is covered bythe sealing resin 6. The pad section 322 is continuous with the leadsection 321 and has a rectangular shape wider than the lead section 321in the first direction X. In the present embodiment, as with the padsection 312 of each first inner terminal 31, the upper surface of thepad section 322 (the surface facing in the same direction as the firstupper surface 211 of the first die pad 21 in FIG. 7) is coated with theinternal plating 72. The pad section 322 is flat and entirelyencapsulated in the sealing resin 6.

As with the first terminals 3, once bonded to the circuit board of aninverter, the second terminals 4 provides a conduction path between thesemiconductor device A and the circuit board. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4,the second terminals 4 are arranged in the first direction X. As shownin FIG. 2, the plurality of second terminals 4 are located on theopposite side of the semiconductor elements 11 from the plurality offirst terminals 3 in the second direction Y. The second terminals 4extend in the second direction Y beyond the other one of the two firstside surfaces 63 of the sealing resin 6, which will be described later.The plurality of second terminals 4 include a plurality of second innerterminals 41 and a pair of second outer terminals 42.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the second inner terminals 41 are arrangedbetween the pair of second outer terminals 42. In addition, the secondinner terminals 41 are arranged between a pair of second supportterminals 52. The pair of second support terminals 52 are included inthe support terminals 5 as will be described later. Each second innerterminal 41 has a lead section 411 and a pad section 412.

The lead section 411 has a rectangular shape elongated in the seconddirection Y. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the portion of the lead section411 extending beyond the other first side surface 63 of the sealingresin 6 is bent into a gull wing profile. In addition, the extendedportion of the lead section 411 is coated with the external plating 73.In other words, the portion of the lead section 411 not covered by theexternal plating 73 is covered by the sealing resin 6. The pad section412 is continuous with the lead section 411 and has a rectangular shapewider than the lead section 411 in the first direction X. As shown inFIG. 7, in the present embodiment, the upper surface of the pad section412 is coated with the internal plating 72. The pad section 412 is flatand entirely encapsulated in the sealing resin 6. In the presentembodiment, the second terminals 4 has a shape identical to the firstterminals 3.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the pair of second outer terminals 42 arearranged on opposite sides of the plurality of second inner terminals 41in the first direction X. Each second outer terminal 42 has a leadsection 421 and a pad section 422.

The lead section 421 has a rectangular shape elongated in the seconddirection Y. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the portion of the lead section421 extending beyond the other first side surface 63 of the sealingresin 6 is bent into a gull wing profile. As with the lead section 411of each second inner terminal 41, the extended portion of the leadsection 421 is coated with the external plating 73. In other words, theportion of the lead section 421 not covered by the external plating 73is covered by the sealing resin 6. The portion of the lead section 421encapsulated in the sealing resin 6 is longer than the portion of thelead section 411 of the second inner terminal 41 encapsulated in thesealing resin 6. The pad section 422 is continuous with the lead section421 and extends in the first direction X. As shown in FIG. 2, the end ofthe pad section 422 is isolated from the second die pad 22. In thepresent embodiment, as with the pad section 412 of each second innerterminal 41, the upper surface of the pad section 422 (the surfacefacing in the same direction as the second upper surface 221 of thesecond die pad 22 in FIG. 7) is coated with the internal plating 72. Thepad section 422 is flat and entirely encapsulated in the sealing resin6.

The support terminals 5 are connected to the die pads 2 to support thedie pads 2. In addition, as with the first terminals 3 and the secondterminals 4, once bonded the circuit board of an inverter, the supportterminals 5 provide a conduction path between the semiconductor deviceA1 and the circuit board. The support terminals 5 are provided in pairsand include a pair of first support terminals 51 and a pair of secondsupport terminals 52. As shown in FIG. 2, the pair of first supportterminals 51 are spaced apart in the first direction X and connected tothe opposite ends of the first die pad 21. The pair of second supportterminals 52 are spaced apart in the first direction X and connected tothe opposite ends of the second die pad 22.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the pair of first support terminal 51 arearranged on opposite sides of the plurality of first terminals 3 in thefirst direction X. The first support terminals 51 extend in the seconddirection Y beyond the same first side surface 63 as the first terminals3, to be partially exposed from the sealing resin 6. Each first supportterminal 51 has a lead section 511 and a pad section 512.

The lead section 511 has a rectangular shape elongated in the seconddirection Y. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the portion of the lead section511 extending beyond the one first side surface 63 of the sealing resin6 is bent into a gull wing profile. As with the lead section 311 of eachfirst inner terminal 31, the extended portion of the lead section 511 iscoated with the external plating 73. In other words, the portion of thelead section 511 not covered by the external plating 73 is covered bythe sealing resin 6. In addition, the portion of the lead section 511encapsulated in the sealing resin 6 is longer than the portion of thelead section 311 of the first inner terminal 31 encapsulated in thesealing resin 6, or than the portion of the lead section 321 of thefirst outer terminal 32 encapsulated in the sealing resin 6. The padsection 512 is continuous with the lead section 511 and extends in thefirst direction X. As shown in FIG. 2, the end of the pad section 512 isconnected to the first die pad 21. In the present embodiment, as withthe pad section 312 of each first inner terminal 31, the upper surfaceof the pad section 512 is coated with the internal plating 72 as shownin FIG. 8. The pad section 512 is flat and entirely encapsulated in thesealing resin 6.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the plurality of second inner terminals 41are arranged between the pair of second support terminals 52 in thefirst direction X. In addition, the pair of second support terminals 52are arranged between the pair of second outer terminals 42 in the firstdirection X. That is, each second support terminal 52 is located betweentwo of the second terminals 4. The second support terminals 52 extend inthe second direction Y beyond the same first side surface 63 as thesecond terminals 4, to be partially exposed from the sealing resin 6.Each second support terminal 52 has a lead section 521, a pad section522, and a connecting section 524.

The lead section 521 has a rectangular shape elongated in the seconddirection Y. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the portion of the lead section521 extending beyond the other first side surface 63 of the sealingresin 6 is bent into a gull wing profile. In addition, the extendedportion of the lead section 521 is coated with the external plating 73,as with the lead section 411 of each second inner terminal 41. In otherwords, the portion of the lead section 521 not covered by the externalplating 73 is covered by the sealing resin 6. The pad section 522 iscontinuous with the lead section 521 and wider than the lead section 521in the first direction X. The pad section 522 extends in the seconddirection Y. In the present embodiment, as with the pad section 412 ofeach second inner terminal 41, the upper surface of the pad section 522(the surface facing in the same direction as the second upper surface221 of the second die pad 22 in FIG. 7) is coated with the internalplating 72. The pad section 522 is flat and entirely encapsulated in thesealing resin 6. The connecting section 524 extends continuously fromthe pad section 522 in the first direction X. The end of the connectingsection 524 is connected to the second die pad 22 as shown in FIG. 2. Inthe present embodiment, as with the pad section 522, the upper surfaceof the connecting section 524 (the surface facing in the same directionas the upper surface of the pad section 522) is coated with the internalplating 72. The connecting section 524 is entirely encapsulated in thesealing resin 6.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the lead frame 81 included in the semiconductordevice A1. In FIG. 9, the region where the sealing resin 6 is to beformed is enclosed by imaginary lines (dash-double-dot lines). Inaddition, the regions where the internal plating 72 are to be formed areshown crosshatched.

The conductive support described above is formed from the lead frame 81.More specifically, the die pads 2, the first terminals 3, the secondterminals 4, and the support terminals 5 are all formed from the samelead frame 81 in the production of the semiconductor device A1. The leadframe 81 may be made of an alloy containing Cu. The lead frame 81 has anouter frame 811, a plurality of islands 812, a plurality of first leads813, a plurality of second leads 814, a plurality of support leads 815,and a pair of dam bars 816. Among the components mentioned above, theouter frame 811 and the dam bars 816 are not components constitutingpart of the semiconductor device A1. The following describes the leadframe 81 with reference to FIG. 9.

The outer frame 811 encloses the islands 812, the first leads 813, thesecond leads 814, the support leads 815, and the dam bars 816. The firstleads 813, as well as the second leads 814 and the support leads 815,are connected to the outer frame 811 in spaced relationship along thefirst direction X. The dam bars 816 are connected to the outer frame 811in spaced relationship along the second direction Y.

In plan view, each island 812 has a rectangular shape elongated in thefirst direction X. The islands 812 constitute the die pads 2. Theislands 812 are supported by the outer frame 811 via the support leads815. The islands 812 includes a first island 812 a and a second island812 b. The first island 812 a constitutes the first die pad 21, and thesecond island 812 b constitutes the second die pad 22. The first island812 a is spaced apart from the second island 812 b.

The first leads 813 are arranged in the first direction X and extend inthe second direction Y. The first leads 813 constitute the firstterminals 3. Each first lead 813 is connected at one end to the outerframe 811. The plurality of first leads 813 include a plurality of firstinner leads 813 a and a pair of first outer leads 813 b. The first innerleads 813 a constitute the first inner terminals 31, and the first outerleads 813 b constitute the first outer terminals 32.

The second leads 814 are arranged in the first direction X and extend inthe second direction Y. The second leads 814 are located on the oppositeside of the islands 812 from the first leads 813 in the second directionY. The second leads 814 constitute the second terminals 4. Each secondlead 814 is connected at one end to the outer frame 811. The pluralityof second leads 814 include a plurality of second inner leads 814 a anda pair of second outer leads 814 b. The second inner leads 814 aconstitute the second inner terminals 41, and the second outer leads 814b constitute the second outer terminals 42.

Each support lead 815 extends in the second direction Y, and isconnected at one end to the outer frame 811. The other end of eachsupport lead 815 is connected to a corresponding one of the islands 812.The support leads 815 constitute the support terminals 5. The supportleads 815 include a pair of first support leads 815 a and a pair ofsecond support leads 815 b. The first support leads 815 a constitute thefirst support terminals 51, and the second support leads 815 bconstitute the second support terminals 52. The pair of first supportleads 815 a are spaced from each other in the first direction X andconnected to the opposite ends of the first island 812 a. The pair ofsecond support leads 815 b are spaced from each other in the firstdirection X and connected to the opposite ends of the second island 812b.

Each of the pair of dam bars 816 extends in the first direction X and isconnected at each end to the outer frame 811. The dambars 816 extend inthe first direction X to support the first leads 813, the second leads814, and the support leads 815. In the production of the sealing resin6, in addition, the dam bars 816 serve to stop the flow of moltensynthetic resin. One of the dam bars 816 is connected to the first innerleads 813 a, the first outer leads 813 b, and the first support leads815 a. The other of the dam bars 816 is connected to the second innerleads 814 a, the second outer leads 814 b, and the second support leads815 b.

The sealing resin 6 may be made of a black epoxy resin that iselectrically insulative. The sealing resin 6 partially encapsulates thefirst terminals 3, the second terminals 4, and the support terminals 5and fully encapsulates the semiconductor elements 11, the insulatingelement 12, the die pads 2, the bonding wires 71, and the internalplating 72. The sealing resin 6 is formed by transfer molding using amold. The sealing resin 6 has an upper surface 61, a lower surface 62, apair of first side surfaces 63, and a pair of second side surfaces 64.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the upper surface 61 of the sealing resin 6faces upward, whereas the lower surface 62 faces downward. The uppersurface 61 and the lower surface 62 of the sealing resin 6 face awayfrom each other. The upper surface 61 and the lower surface of thesealing resin 6 are both flat.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pair of first side surfaces 63 of thesealing resin 6 are spaced apart in the second direction Y and face awayfrom each other. In the present embodiment, the first terminals 3 andthe first support terminals 51 are exposed from one of the pair of firstside surfaces 63. The second terminals 4 and the second supportterminals 52 are exposed from the other of the pair of first sidesurfaces 63. Each first side surface 63 has a first upper section 631, afirst middle section 632, and a first lower section 633.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the first upper section 631 has an upper edgeconnected to the upper surface 61 of the sealing resin 6 and a loweredge connected to the first middle section 632. The first upper section631 is inclined upwardly toward an inward position of the semiconductordevice A1.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the first middle section 632 has an upper edgeconnected to the first upper section 631 and a lower edge connected tothe first lower section 633. The first middle section 632 is verticalrelative to the upper surface 61 and the lower surface 62 of the sealingresin 6. The first terminals 3 and the first support terminals 51 areexposed from one of the first middle sections 632. The second terminals4 and the second support terminals 52 are exposed from the other of thefirst middle sections 632.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the first lower section 633 has an upper edgeconnected to the first middle section 632 and a lower edge connected tothe lower surface 62 of the sealing resin 6. The first lower section 633is inclined downwardly toward an inward position of the semiconductordevice A1.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pair of second side surfaces 64 of thesealing resin 6 are spaced apart in the first direction X and face awayfrom each other. As shown in FIGS. 2, 5, and 6, the conductive supportis not exposed from either of the pair of second side surfaces 64. Eachsecond side surface 64 has a second upper section 641, a second middlesection 642, and a second lower section 643.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the second upper section 641 has an upper edgeconnected to the upper surface 61 of the sealing resin 6 and a loweredge connected to the second middle section 642. The second uppersection 641 is inclined upwardly toward an inward position of thesemiconductor device A1.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the second middle section 642 has an upperedge connected to the second upper section 641 and a lower edgeconnected to the second lower section 643. The second middle section 642is vertical relative to the upper surface 61 and the lower surface 62 ofthe sealing resin 6 and meet the first middle sections 632 at a rightangle. In the present embodiment, the second middle sections 642 have aheight substantially equal to the height of the first middle sections inthe thickness direction of the semiconductor device A1.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the second lower section 643 has an upper edgeconnected to the second middle section 642 and a lower edge connected tothe lower surface 62 of the sealing resin 6. The second lower section643 is inclined downwardly toward an inward position of thesemiconductor device A1.

The bonding wires 71 connect the first terminals 3, the second terminals4, and the support terminals 5 to together provide a conduction pathwithin the semiconductor device A1. The conduction path is used by thesemiconductor elements 11 and the insulating element 12 to performpredetermined functions. The bonding wires 71 include a plurality offirst bonding wires 711, a plurality of second bonding wires 712, aplurality of third bonding wires 713, and a plurality of fourth bondingwires 714.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first bonding wires 711 provide a conductionpath connecting the control element 111 to the first terminals 3 and thefirst support terminals 51. Each first bonding wire 711 electricallyconnects the control element 111 to at least one of the first terminals3 and the first support terminal 51. Specifically, each first bondingwire 711 is bonded to the pad 111 a of the control element 111 at oneend. The other end of the first bonding wire 711 is bonded to one of thepad sections 312 of the first inner terminals 31, the pad sections 322of the first outer terminals 32, and the pad sections 512 of the firstsupport terminals 51.

As shown in FIG. 2, the second bonding wires 712 provide a conductionpath between the insulating element 12 and the control element 111. Thesecond bonding wires 712 electrically connect the insulating element 12and the control element 111. Specifically, each second bonding wire 712is bonded to the pad 12 a of the insulating element 12 at one end and toone of the pads 111 a of the control element 111 at the other end. Inthe present embodiment, the second bonding wires 712 are arranged in thesecond direction Y.

As shown in FIG. 2, the third bonding wires 713 provide a conductionpath between the insulating element 12 and the control element 111. Thethird bonding wires 713 electrically connect the insulating element 12to the control element 111. Specifically, each third bonding wire 713 isbonded to one of the pads 12 a of the insulating element 12 at one endand to one of the pads 112 a of the drive element 112 at the other end.In the present embodiment, the third bonding wires 713 are arranged inthe second direction Y.

As shown in FIG. 2, the fourth bonding wires 714 provide a conductionpath connecting the drive element 112 to the second terminals 4 and thesecond support terminals 52. Each fourth bonding wire 714 electricallyconnects the drive element 112 to at least one of the second terminals 4and the second support terminals 52. Specifically, each fourth bondingwire 714 is bonded to one of the pads 112 a of the drive element 112 atone end. The other end of the fourth bonding wire 714 is bonded to oneof the pad sections 412 of the second inner terminals 41, the padsections 422 of the second outer terminals 42, and the pad sections 522of the second support terminals 52.

FIGS. 10 to 14 are each partial sectional view illustrating amanufacturing step of the bonding wires 71 of the semiconductor deviceA1.

Each second bonding wire 712 bonded to the insulating element 12 has afirst bonding portion 712 a, and each third bonding wire 713 bonded tothe insulating element 12 has a first bonding portion. With reference toFIGS. 10 to 14, the following describes the bonding process of thesecond bonding wire 712 as well as the third bonding wire 713.

In the step illustrated in FIG. 10, a capillary 88 is lowered toward theinsulating element 12 to press the tip of a wire 871, which will beformed into a bonding wire 71, against a pad 12 a of the insulatingelement 12. By the action of ultrasonic waves emitted by the capillary88 and under the weight of the capillary 88, the tip of the wire 871 isbonded to the pad 12 a. The capillary 88, which is a cylindrical toolhaving a through-hole and a smoothly curved tip, can freely feed thewire 871 forward or backward. In the subsequent step illustrated in FIG.11, the capillary 88 is raised while forwarding the wire 871. As aresult, the first bonding portion 712 a of the second bonding wire 712is formed on the pad 12 a. The first boding portion of the third bondingwire 713 can be formed in a similar manner.

In the subsequent step illustrated in FIG. 12, the capillary 88 is movedto a position directly above the pad 111 a of the control element 111and then lowered until the tip of the capillary 88 is pressed againstthe pad 111 a. In this state, the wire 871 is sandwiched between the tipof the capillary 88 and the pad 111 a, causing residue of the wire 871to adhere to the tip of the capillary 88. In a subsequent stepillustrated in FIG. 13, the capillary 88 is raised to break the wire 871off, leaving a second bonding portion 712 b of the second bonding wire712 on the pad 111 a. The above steps form the second bonding wire 712bonded to the insulating element 12 and the control element 111.

In the step of forming a second bonding portion of the third bondingwire 713 shown in FIG. 14, the tip of the capillary 88 is pressedagainst a pad 112 a of the drive element 112. In this state, the wire871 is sandwiched between the tip of the capillary 88 and the pad 112 a,with the wire 871 in contact with the tip of the capillary 88 at aportion opposite the portion sandwiching the wire 871 in the step offorming the second bonding wire 712. The wire bonding steps describedabove can prevent wire residues from locally adhering to a specificportion of tip of the capillary 88. This is effective to reduce bondingfailure caused by capillary contamination.

The internal plating 72 includes layers formed on the first terminals 3,the second terminals 4, and the support terminals 5. A description ofthe specific layers is already given above regarding the first terminals3, the second terminals 4, and the support terminals 5. In the presentembodiment, the internal plating 72 is also formed on the first uppersurface 211 of the first die pad 21 as well as on the second uppersurface 221 of the second die pad 22. In FIG. 9, crosshatched regions ofthe lead frame 81 are where the internal plating 72 are formed. Theinternal plating 72 serves to protect the lead frame 81 against shocksimposed upon wire bonding. The internal plating 72 may be made of silver(Ag).

The external plating 73 includes layers formed the first terminals 3,the first support terminals 51, the second terminals 4, and the secondsupport terminal 52 so as to coat portions of the respective terminalsexposed from the first side surfaces 63 of the sealing resin 6. When thesemiconductor device A1 is surface mounted to the circuit board of aninverter by solder bonding, the external plating 73 serves to improvethe strength of solder bonding and protect the portions not encapsulatedin the sealing resin 6 from erosion due to solder bonding. The externalplating 73 may be made of an alloy containing tin (Sn), such as solder.

The following now describes advantageous effects of the semiconductordevice A1.

According to the present embodiment, the first terminals 3 and thesecond terminals 4 are exposed from a different one of the pair of firstside surfaces 63 of the sealing resin 6. The die pads 2, the firstterminals 3, the second terminals 4, and the support terminals 5 are allcomponents of the conductive support. Any component of the conductivesupport, such as an island support, is not exposed from the second sidesurfaces 64 of the sealing resin 6. That is, no metal components of theconductive support not encapsulated by the sealing resin 6 are locatednear the second terminals 4, which receives application of highervoltage than the first terminals 3. This allows the semiconductor deviceA1 to further improve the dielectric strength.

The second bonding wires 712, as well as the third bonding wires 713,bonded to the insulating element 12 are arranged to extend in the seconddirection Y. In an example in which the semiconductor device A1 ismounted on the inverter of an electric vehicle or hybrid vehicle, thesecond bonding wires 712 are subjected to application of about 5 V,whereas the third bonding wires 713 are subjected to application of 600V or higher. To further improve the dielectric strength of thesemiconductor device A1, the above-described layout of the secondbonding wires 712 and the third bonding wires 713 is preferable.

To further improve the dielectric strength of the semiconductor deviceA1, it is preferable to have a longer distance separating the firstterminals 3 from the second terminals 4. In the illustrated example, thesemiconductor elements 11, the insulating element 12, and the die pads 2each have a rectangular shape elongated in the first direction X in planview. Such an configuration is advantageous to reducing the overall sizeof the semiconductor device A1.

The first die pad 21 is supported by the pair of first support terminals51 substantially at the middle in the second direction Y along therespective edges. Similarly, the second die pad 22 is supported by thepair of second support terminals 52 substantially at the middle in thesecond direction Y along the respective edges. When a molten resin isinjected into the mold cavity to form the sealing resin 6, the die pads2 tend to be displaced by the molten rein in the thickness direction ofthe semiconductor device A1. However, the above-described configurationis effective to hold the die pads 2 against such displacement andprotect the semiconductor device A1 from resulting defects.

In a typical manufacturing process of the sealing resin 6, a moltenresin is injected into a mold cavity from a position corresponding to acorner of the lead frame 81. Unlike an island support of a conventionalexample, the conductive support according to the present embodiment isnot exposed from the pair of the second side surfaces 64. Thisconfiguration allows the molten resin to be injected into the moldcavity from a midpoint in the second direction Y, rather than from acorner. Such injection is effective to produce the sealing resin 6 thatis be void free.

FIGS. 15 to 18 illustrate other embodiments of the present invention. Inthe figures, the same reference signs denote components that are thesame as or similar to the components of the semiconductor device A1described above.

Second Embodiment

With reference to FIGS. 15 and 16, the following describes asemiconductor device A2 according to a second embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of the semiconductor device A2, with the sealingresin 6 omitted for clarity. FIG. 16 is a sectional view along lineXVI-XVI (long and short dashed lines) of FIG. 15. In FIG. 15, thesealing resin 6 is omitted and indicated only by imaginary lines(dash-double-dot lines). In FIG. 16, the sealing resin 6 is illustrated.The semiconductor device A2 according to the present embodiment isrectangular in plan view.

The semiconductor device A2 according to the present embodiment differsfrom the semiconductor device A1 in the shape of the first die pad 21.As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the first die pad 21 has one or morethrough-holes 213. According to the present embodiment, the first diepad 21 has three through-holes 213 between the control element 111 andthe insulating element 12. Each through-hole 213 is elongated in thefirst direction X. Any number of through-holes 213 may be provided inany shape. As shown in FIG. 15, on the first die pad 21, thethrough-holes 213 longitudinally aligned with the pair of first supportterminals 51 along a straight line N (long and short dashed lines)extending in the first direction X.

Similarly to the first embodiment, the present embodiment enables thesemiconductor device A2 to further improve the dielectric strength.According to the present embodiment, in addition, the first die pad 21has the through-holes 213. Generally, in the production of the sealingresin, the first die pad 21 having a larger area than the second die pad22 may be more prone to formation of voids near the first die pad 21.However, when a molten resin is injected to into a mold cavity to formthe sealing resin 6, molten resin can flow through the through-holes 213and more reliably fill the mold cavity without leaving voids.

Third Embodiment

With reference to FIGS. 17 and 18, the following describes asemiconductor device A3 according to a third embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 17 is a plan view of the semiconductor device A3 with the sealingresin 6 omitted for clarity. FIG. 18 is an enlarged view of an upperright part of FIG. 17. In FIGS. 17 and 18, the sealing resin 6 isindicated only by imaginary lines (dash-double-dot lines). FIG. 18 showsthe state where a second support terminal 52 is moved to a positionindicated by imaginary lines (dash-double-dot lines), in response to aforce pulling the second support terminal 52 out from the sealing resin6 in the second direction Y. The semiconductor device A3 according tothe present embodiment is rectangular in plan view.

The semiconductor device A3 according to the present embodiment differsfrom the semiconductor devices A1 and A2 in the shape of the secondouter terminals 42 and also in the shape of the first support terminals51. As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the pair of second outer terminals 42are two second terminals 4 arranged outside the pair of second supportterminals 52 in the first direction X and each second outer terminal 42has a lug portion projecting toward a corresponding one of the secondsupport terminals 52. According to the present embodiment, each lugportion 423 has a trapezoidal shape in plan view. Alternatively, the lugportion 423 may have a rectangular shape or any other shape in planview. For the reason related to the production of the lead frame 81,each first support terminal 51 also has a lug portion 513 projectingtoward a corresponding one of the first outer terminal 32.

Similarly to the first and second embodiments, the present embodimentenables the semiconductor device A3 to further improve the dielectricstrength. In addition, as each second outer terminal 42 has a lugportion 423, the following is archived. That is, since the second diepad 22 has a smaller area than the first die pad 21, the bondingstrength of the second die pad 22 to the sealing resin 6 is lower thanthe bonding strength of the first die pad 21 to the sealing resin 6.Therefore, the second die pad 22 may be more prone to unintentionaldetachment from the sealing resin 6 when a pulling force in the seconddirection Y is applied to the second support terminals 52 at the time ofcutting the lead frame 81 in the process of dicing after the formationof the sealing resin 6. As shown in FIG. 18, the lug portion 423projects in the direction (first direction X) perpendicular to thedirection of the pulling force (second direction Y) applied to thesecond support terminal 52. Therefore, the lug portion 423 counteractsthe pulling force acting on the second support terminal 52 to urge thesecond die pad 22 to be detached from the sealing resin. In this manner,the semiconductor device A3 according to the present embodiment canprevent detachment of the second die pad 22 from the sealing resin 6.

The semiconductor device according to the present invention is notlimited to those described above in the specie embodiments. Variousmodifications may be made to the configurations of the respectivecomponent parts of the semiconductor device according to the presentinvention.

1. A semiconductor device comprising: a semiconductor element circuit; aconductive support that includes: a die pad on which the semiconductorelement circuit is mounted; first terminals mutually spaced apart in afirst direction; second terminals mutually spaced apart in the firstdirection and disposed opposite to the first terminals in a seconddirection with respect to the semiconductor element circuit, the seconddirection being perpendicular to the first direction; and a supportterminal formed integral with the die pad; and a sealing resin thatpartially covers the first terminals, the second terminals and thesupport terminal, while also covering the semiconductor element circuitand the die pad, wherein the sealing resin has a pair of first sidesurfaces spaced apart in the second direction and a pair of second sidesurfaces spaced apart in the first direction, the first terminals andthe second terminals are exposed from the pair of first side surfaces,and the conductive support is not exposed from the pair of second sidesurfaces.
 2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein thedie pad a first edge and a second edge that are spaced apart from eachother in the first direction, and the support terminal comprises a firstsupport terminal and a second support terminal that extend from thefirst edge and the second edge, respectively.
 3. The semiconductordevice according to claim 2, wherein each of the first support terminaland the second support terminal includes a straight portion extending inthe first direction, and the straight portion connects directly to thedie pad and is covered by the sealing resin.
 4. The semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the die pad includes a first die pad and asecond die pad that are spaced apart from each other in the seconddirection.
 5. The semiconductor device according to claim 4, wherein thesupport terminal includes a pair of first support terminals and a pairof second support terminals, each of the first die pad and the seconddie pad has two edges spaced apart from each other in the firstdirection, and the first support terminals are connected to the twoedges of the first die pad, respectively, and the second supportterminals are connected to the two edges of the second die pad
 6. Thesemiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein the first supportterminals and the second support terminals are exposed from the firstside surfaces.
 7. The semiconductor device according to claim 4, whereinthe semiconductor element circuit comprises a control element and adrive element configured to operate at a higher voltage than the controlelement, the control element being mounted on the first die pad, thedrive element being mounted on the second die pad.
 8. The semiconductordevice according to claim 7, wherein the control element is electricallyconnected to at least one of the first terminals, and the drive elementis electrically connected to at least one of the second terminals. 9.The semiconductor device according to claim 7, wherein the controlelement is electrically connected to at least one of the first supportterminals, and the drive element is electrically connected to at leastone of the second support terminals.
 10. The semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 7, further comprising an insulating element that iselectrically connected to the control element and the drive element,wherein the insulating element is located between the control elementand the drive element in the second direction.
 11. The semiconductordevice according to claim 10, wherein the insulating element is formedwith an inductor.
 12. The semiconductor device according to claim 10,wherein each of the control element, the drive element and theinsulating element has a rectangular shape elongated in the firstdirection in plan view.
 13. The semiconductor device according to claim10, wherein the first die pad is greater in area than the second diepad, and the insulating element is mounted on the first die pad.
 14. Thesemiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein the first die pad isformed with a through-hole.
 15. The semiconductor device according toclaim 12, wherein parts of the respective first support terminals andthe through-hole are aligned with each other along a straight lineextending in the first direction.
 16. The semiconductor device accordingto claim 4, wherein each of the first die pad and the second die pad hasa rectangular shape elongated in the first direction.
 17. Thesemiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein the first terminalsand the first support terminals are exposed from a same one of the firstside surfaces of the sealing resin.
 18. The semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 5, wherein the first terminals are located betweenthe first support terminals in the first direction.
 19. Thesemiconductor device according to claim 17, wherein the second terminalsand the second support terminals are exposed from the other one of thefirst side surfaces of the sealing resin.
 20. The semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 5, wherein each of the second support terminals islocated between two of the second terminals in the first direction. 21.The semiconductor device according to claim 20, wherein one of said twoof the second terminals is formed with a lug portion projected towardsaid each of the second support terminals.
 22. The semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 7, further comprising bonding wires, wherein thebonding wires include a first wire and a second wire, the first wireconnecting the control element to one of the first terminals, the secondwire connecting the drive element to one of the second terminals. 23.The semiconductor device according to claim 22, wherein the bondingwires include a third wire and a fourth wire, the third wire connectingthe control element to one of the first support terminals, the fourthwire connecting the drive element to one of the second supportterminals.
 24. The semiconductor device according to claim 23, whereinthe bonding wires include a fifth wire connected to the insulatingelement.
 25. The semiconductor device according to claim 24, wherein thefifth wire extends along the second direction as viewed in a thirddirection perpendicular to both the first direction and the seconddirection.
 26. The semiconductor device according to claim 24, whereinthe fifth wire has a first bonding portion bonded to the insulatingelement.
 27. The semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein theconductive support is made of an alloy containing Cu.
 28. Thesemiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein the sealing resin ismade of an electrically insulating epoxy resin.
 29. The semiconductordevice according to claim 1, further comprising an internal platinglayer disposed in the sealing resin, wherein the internal plating layeris formed on the first terminals, the second terminals and the supportterminal.
 30. The semiconductor device according to claim 29, whereinthe internal plating layer is made of Ag.
 31. The semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 1, further comprising an external plating layerexposed from the sealing resin, wherein the external plating layer isformed on the first terminals, the second terminals and the supportterminal.
 32. The semiconductor device according to claim 31, whereinthe external plating layer is made of an alloy containing Sn.